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October 6, 1996, was not a good day for Bryan Cox. The two-time
All-Pro linebacker was on the receiving end of a steady stream
of verbal abuse from his opponents, gave an official the
finger—an act for which he was later fined $87,500—and
witnessed the humiliation of his Bears by the Packers, 37-6, at
Soldier Field. After the game Cox ripped into his teammates.
"Some of us need to see the Wizard because we don't have a lot
of heart," he said. "Search the waiver wire. This ain't college.
People not doing their job, let's get their ass out and get some
people in who want to play."
Though the Bears probably didn't appreciate Cox's tone, the
front office seemed to take his advice to heart. Most notably,
Chicago brought in Seattle's maligned quarterback, Rick Mirer,
in exchange for the Bears' 1997 first-round pick. The move will
most likely determine whether the Bears once again toil in
mediocrity—they've been either 9-7 or 7-9 in each of coach Dave
Wannstedt's four seasons—or challenge the Packers.
Mirer never finished better than 12th in the AFC in passer
efficiency in his four seasons with the Seahawks, and after his
first few workouts for Chicago the buzz was lukewarm at best.
"The more repetitions he gets, the better he will get," says new
offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh. "If he didn't have a clue,
I'd be nervous, but that is not the case."
Veteran Erik Kramer, the opening-day starter in '96, missed the
last 12 games of the season with a herniated disk. (The now
departed Dave Krieg filled in.) Kramer has returned healthy, and
his presence will keep heat on Mirer. "We are not going to be
stubborn about it," says Cavanaugh about sticking with Mirer.
"If he's not playing well, we're not going to stay with him just
because we traded for him."
The Bears also received Seattle's fourth-round pick, which
they used on Northwestern running back Darnell Autry. He could
play a significant role if Rashaan Salaam does not regain his
form of 1995, when he rushed for 1,074 yards. Salaam missed
three games with knee and hamstring problems, leaving fullback
Raymont Harris to fill in; Harris ended up carrying a
significant portion of the tailback load even after Salaam
returned. With Autry in the fold, Wannstedt can return
Harris to fullback full time.
The receiving corps is the strength of the offense. Curtis
Conway has blossomed into a 1,000-yard performer, and Bobby
Engram's promising rookie year—of his 33 catches, six were for
TDs and 22 others were for first downs—prompted the club to
part with Michael Timpson, who had 62 catches but no touchdowns.
The Bears' first pick this year, John Allred from USC, should
halt the team's revolving door at tight end. Chicago had two
other intriguing draft picks: Bob Sapp, a guard from Washington
who once took part in an extreme-fighting competition, and Mike
Miano, a defensive tackle who wept when his hometown team
drafted him, then showed how tough he is by picking several
fights during minicamp—with Sapp.
Miano might not crack the lineup, but given the state of the
Bears' defensive line, there's no telling. On the ends, former
first-rounder John Thierry has been a bust on both the right and
the left, and Alonzo Spellman has yet to play up to his
potential. Coming off injuries are tackles Jim Flanigan
(ruptured Achilles tendon in the season finale) and Chris Zorich
(season-ending torn ACL last August). Carl Simpson made the team
last year mainly because Zorich was hurt.
The secondary has been solid, though free safety Mark Carrier
was waived after refusing to take a pay cut, which thrust the
largely unproven Anthony Marshall into the mix. Cox will again
anchor the linebacking corps. He missed half of last season with
a broken thumb and before that was hindered by a bad back. The
injuries prompted him to get a head start on his off-season
conditioning. "Instead of drinking a couple of six packs a week,
I was down to maybe four beers a week," he says. "I'm changing
my habits so I can take care of my body." Cox—who worked with a
nutritionist, an exercise guru and a chiropractor—says his
back is better than ever.
As for his locker room tirade, he attributes it to being sick of
seeing his teammates cower in the presence of the mighty Pack.
"I just felt that whenever Green Bay came up, we went into a
shell," he says. "And if we're going to do anything, we're going
to have to be able to defeat that monster." He'll get his chance
soon enough: The Bears open the season on Sept. 1 in Green Bay.
—by Mark Bechtel
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